1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to feeder mechanisms for high rate of fire guns, and particularly to a sprocket mechanism for side stripping and feeding linked ammunition; and a mechanism incorporating said sprocket mechanism for side stripping and feeding either of two feeds of linked ammunition; and a Gatling type gun for receiving either of two feeds of ammunition.
2. Prior Art
Linked ammunition conventionally consists of a series of rounds of ammunition held in sequence by a series of links or clips. Each link may grasp a single round and be directly engaged to the next link between immediately adjacent rounds, or a link may grasp two immediately adjacent rounds and be indirectly engaged to the next link by the commonly grasped link. To be chambered in the gun the round must be removed or stripped from the link. The stripping action may be carried out radially from the longitudinal axis of the link, called "side stripping," or may be carried out longitudinally, called "push through" stripping. In linked ammunition intended to be side stripped, the train of ammunition has an open side, out through which each round is to be radially passed, and a closed side. The sprocket which engages and as it rotates, advances the train of ammunition, may engage from either the open or the closed side. In either case the sprocket conventionally engages the round, but not the link. The sprocket engages the round and positively pushes it against a fixed tooth or wedge to snap the round out of the link, while the snaped-out-of link is merely advanced along its guides by the next successive link. The result is that the link, during and after stripping, is not positively controlled and may twist or turn as it is loosely pushed along, and, thereupon. jam.
Exemplary side-stripping, open side, sprocket driven strippers are shown in:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,453,786, issued to P. H. Dixon on Nov. 16, 1948; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,815,699, issued R. W. Davis on Dec. 10, 1957; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,821,888, issued to B. Maillard on Feb. 4, 1958; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,924,150, issued to B. Maillard on Feb. 9, 1960; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,230,828, issued to B. Maillard on Jan. 25, 1966; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,311,021, issued to F. P. Reed on Mar. 28, 1967; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,296,930, issued to J. G. Rocha on Jan. 10, 1967; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,333,506, issued to R. W. Henshaw et al on Aug. 1, 1967; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,657, issued to B. Maillard et al on Dec. 24, 1968; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,489, issued to C. D. Johnson on Jan. 25, 1977; and PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,012, issued to G. Frye on Oct. 10, 1978. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,785,242, issued to R. Hartman on Jan. 15, 1974; and PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,125, issued to R. Hartman on Dec. 21, 1976.
Exemplary side-stripping, closed side, sprocket driven strippers are shown in:
In each of the foregoing patents, the round is positively controlled, but the link is not and may jam.
It is an object of this invention to provide a side stripping, sprocket driven stripper, in which the stripped link is precluded from jamming.
It is another object to provide such a stripper, in which the stripped link is positively controlled.
It is yet another object to provide such a stripper which can strip and feed either of two feeds of linked ammunition.
A feature of this invention is the provision of side stripping stripper which has a sprocket mechanism mounted for rotation about one axis and disposed on the closed side to positively drive both the rounds of ammunition and the respective links during the stripping operation.
Another feature of this invention is the provision of a mechanism for receiving two feeds of linked ammunition and which has two, mutually interlocked, sprocket mechanisms, each disposed on the closed side of a respective feed of linked ammunition, so that one or the other sprocket mechanism is enabled to positively drive both the rounds of ammunition and respective links during the stripping operation of the selected feed of linked ammunition.